From: diaspar@nic.cerf.net (Diaspar Virtual Reality Network) Subject: APPS: Driving Rover Vehicles from Home - Tests on July 27, 1993 Date: 28 Jul 1993 19:52:50 GMT Organization: CERFnet Dial n' CERF Customer Driving Rover Vehicles from Home - Tests Conducted on July 27, 1993 Today marked an important milestone in the steady progress towards new ways to operate vehicles remotely, a process called Tele-Operations. The first in a series of upcoming tests was successfully performed. McDonnell Douglas, NASA Ames Research Center, Comcast Corporation and the Diaspar Virtual Reality Network conducted a series of tests which culminated in the operation of the NASA Ames Rover vehicle remotely using a personal computer. During the tests, various communications linkups were implemented. The end result was operation of the vehicle using a home personal computer while observing the actual live television images transmitted from the vehicle as if one were actually driving it. The complete test configuration involved Tele-Operations software running on a personal computer which was connected via modem to the Diaspar Virtual Reality Network. Control information was then passed via modem link to a UNIX platform (in this case a Silicon Graphics machine) that functioned as a gateway to a local Ethernet that connected to the rover operating system. Television cameras watching the vehicle, as well as television cameras mounted on the vehicle, provided live video which was sent using the NASA Select channel via satellite to Comcast Corporation. Comcast Corporation received the video images and displayed them to users taking turns on a personal computer, completing the loop. The net result was that users could operate the rover vehicle while watching its activities via live video or actually see a driver's point-of-view. The vehicle was also operated from home to test the driver selection capability and experiment with vehicle override procedures. Further tests are planned including broadcast of the live images on unused local cable channels - allowing for educational, home and commercial test operation of the rover vehicle by anyone with a home computer involved with the test. The tests performed today indicated this concept will work so sites are being selected for the next series of tests. Anyone with access to NASA Select video via satelite, a home personal computer and modem can be a pot- entail user with this kind of system layout. McDonnell Douglas Corporation has been investigating the potential of such remote operations for a variety of possible robotic planetary exploration missions. These include both lunar and martian rovers. MDC is working closely with several Russian space organizations that are currently preparing a "Marsokhod" rover for their upcoming Mars '96 project, as well as NASA Ames and several other government labs. NASA Ames Research Center provided both the prototype rover testbed, as well as control software based on virtual reality concepts, a field in which Ames has been a major pioneer. These same capabilities have been used to operate the prototype Russian Marsokhod both at a testbed in Ames and also while the rover was located in Moscow. A future application will involve a submersible remotely operated vehicle that will explore the ocean beneath the Antarctica ice shelf later this fall. The expanding telecommunications field was represented by Comcast Corp., one of the largest cable television system operators in the world. Comcast is actively investigating new programming opportunities that will be created as cable distribution grows to 500 or more interactive channels per system. Besides providing access to the cable distribution, the company is also able to supply insights on how to package and present the information generated by the rover in a fashion that is best suited for a broad consumer audience. The Diaspar Virtual Reality Network is conducting experiments aimed at low cost home Tele-Operations for EduTainment purposes. Diaspar is sponsoring the Lunar Tele-Operations Model 1 (LTM1) project which is building a miniature lunar colony with Tele-Operated vehicles that can be operated by home computers, including receiving slow scan video images directly on the user's computer monitor screen. This educational project is open to individuals, students and teachers worldwide.